


Warm Kisses, Cold Snow

by raininshadows



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 22:11:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16206695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raininshadows/pseuds/raininshadows
Summary: Jade visits Rose for winter break.





	Warm Kisses, Cold Snow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tanksoup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tanksoup/gifts).



“Thanks for letting me stay with you over the break, Miss Rose’s Mom,” Jade said as she put her suitcase into the back of the car and closed the trunk. Rose was already ensconced in the passenger seat, away from the gently falling snow. It was December 23rd, and the Jane Crocker School for Young Women had just finished its fall semester; Rose and Jade were ready to head up to Rose’s house for the winter break. 

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Ms. Lalonde said, grinning broadly. “I’d be coming down here to pick up Rose anyway, and I’m always happy to spend time with Rose’s friends.” Jade, pulling the passenger-side rear door open, could see Rose hunch in more as if she was trying to shrink away entirely and escape the embarrassment of her mother actually talking to one of her friends; Ms. Lalonde, on her way around the back of the car, couldn’t. 

“All right, girls, about two hours until we’re there,” Ms. Lalonde said as she and Jade buckled in. “You don’t need to say goodbye to any of your friends, right?”

“I already did, Mom,” Rose said, staring out the window pointedly. 

“No, it’s fine. The buses to the airport and the train station already left. We said goodbye then,” Jade said. 

“Oh, good! Tell me about your friends, Jade,” Ms. Lalonde said, pulling out of the parking space. “Rose is so busy during the school year we don’t get much time to talk, but I love hearing about what she’s up to.” Rose shrank down further. 

Jade thought for a few moments. “Well, Aradia and I are in the hiking club together. Basically, every other Saturday, we and a bunch of other girls and one of the faculty meet up and go on a hike together. It’s a lot of fun, and we get to see so much more of the area than we would just staying in school.” 

“Oh, that does sound like fun,” Ms. Lalonde said. “Does Rose come with you?”

“No, she’s in some different clubs,” Jade said. “Writing, I think, and the book club.” She wasn’t sure Rose would want her mother knowing about her paranormal activities. 

“Yes, those,” Rose said, still staring out the window. 

“What books are you reading, Rose?” Ms. Lalonde asked. 

Although the trip up to Rose’s house was hours long, it passed as quickly as Jade had come to expect over the years she’d been spending her breaks from school with Rose. Ms. Lalonde tried to pry information about Rose’s school activities out of her, with limited success, and chatted merrily with Jade. She always seemed to be interested in Jade’s grandpa, for some reason. 

Finally, they arrived at Rose’s house. Jade always forgot how beautiful it could be while she was away; now it was bright with snow, the waterfall still flowing, the river narrow with ice. The fading sunlight seemed to play off the crisp snow in bright turquoise and yellow. Even Rose, who had been replying monosyllabically to her mother’s questions the whole trip, seemed transfixed by it briefly.

“Rose, do you want to go hiking tomorrow?” Jade asked as Ms. Lalonde pulled into the garage, breaking the silence in the car. 

“That sounds lovely,” Ms. Lalonde said brightly. “What do you think, Rose?”

“I’d love to,” Rose said, smiling at Jade. It was practically the first overt emotion she’d expressed on the whole trip. 

So tomorrow morning they were outside, dressed thoroughly warmly, ready to follow the river up. “We’ll be back by lunch,” Rose said to her mother. 

“I’ll see you then, dear,” Ms. Lalonde said. “Have fun, you two!” She waved at them as they left, then took a sip from her glass of wine as she closed the door.

It was a bright, clear day; the winter was still bitingly cold, as expected for Christmas Eve, but the light glittered and sparkled off the pristine snow. Rose and Jade’s footprints, and a variety of animal tracks, were the only sign that anything lived here, and the crunching of their steps in the snow was the only sound.

“It’s so pretty out here,” Jade said softly, staring out across the forest. “So different from home.”

“Your island is beautiful too,” Rose replied, staring at Jade. Jade turned to her, and their eyes met. 

“It’s not just the view,” Jade said. “There’s a special sort of feeling to this whole place. Maybe it’s because I’m only ever here over the breaks, I don’t know, but it feels almost magical.” 

Rose laughed quietly. “You’re right, it almost is. I suppose it’s different for me, because I grew up here. Maybe I’d think the same of your island.”

“And it’s not just that,” Jade said, her mind rushing on. “I love spending time with you. There’s something special about it —something about being alone with you that’s….” Jade paused, trying to find a word. 

Rose had been drawing closer to Jade over the course of their conversation. “Don’t try to find a word for it,” she said. Now she balanced on tiptoe and, momentarily, kissed Jade. “Some things don’t have words.”

Jade blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened. She’d had flickers of thinking about Rose that way, but she’d never imagined Rose actually doing anything about it. Especially not like this. 

“We should start heading back,” Rose said, dropping back and turning to go back home. “Mom will probably have something warm ready for lunch.” 

“…yeah,” Jade said, following her.

Ms. Lalonde did indeed have something warm waiting for them for lunch, and once they’d finished, she had a stack of board games ready to go. They spent the afternoon and evening playing through a variety of games ranging from old favorites to bizarre new games Jade had never heard of, with a brief pause for dinner. The whole time, Jade kept glancing at Rose, seeing if Rose would give her any indication of what she’d meant by the brief kiss in the forest; she got nothing. 

Finally, well after dark, Ms. Lalonde called a halt for the night. 

“I’m going to bed, girls. I’ll see you in the morning,” Ms. Lalonde said, yawning. “Merry Christmas!” She vanished down the hallway towards her bedroom, leaving Rose and Jade in the kitchen. 

“Bed does sound like a good idea,” Jade said, standing up. She smiled at Rose, still hoping for some sort of response. “See you in the morning. Merry Christmas.” 

“Wait,” Rose said. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to do.” She slid out of her chair and walked over to where Jade was standing. Rose pulled Jade in closer; then, stretching up to reach, Rose kissed Jade. Their lips met for what seemed like a glorious eternity of perfection, but was probably really only a few seconds; then they separated, still close together.

“Ssh,” Rose whispered, pointing towards the door to her mother’s room, when Jade opened her mouth. Rose smiled up at Jade. “Later.” 

“Okay,” Jade whispered. Jade pulled Rose into her, reveling in the warmth of her touch, and thought that no Christmas present could be better than this.


End file.
